Asymmetric Phase-Transfer Catalysis of Homo- and Heterochiral Quaternary Ammonium Salts: Development and Application of Conformationally Flexible Chiral Phase-Transfer Catalysts.

Abstract Inspired by the considerable difference of catalytic activity and stereocontrolling ability between the conformationally rigid, homo- and heterochiral quaternary ammonium bromides 1, conformationally flexible, N-spiro chiral quaternary ammonium bromides of type 4 have been designed and synthesized. Reliable procedures for the preparation of the appropriately substituted biphenyl subunits have been established by the repeated use of ortho magnesiation–halogenation as a key synthetic tool. The relationship between the structure of achiral biphenyl moiety and the reactivity and selectivity of 4 has been evaluated in the asymmetric alkylation of glycinate Schiff base 2 under typical phase-transfer conditions, leading to the identification of 4l as an optimal catalyst structure to exhibit an excellent enantiocontrol in the reactions with various alkyl halides. The molecular structure of 4l was determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis and its unique behavior in solution was examined by a variable-temperature 1H NMR study. These investigations uncovered that the observed high chiral efficiency originated from the efficient asymmetric phase-transfer catalysis of homochiral-4l, which rapidly equilibrated with heterochiral-4l of low catalytic activity and stereoselectivity.